About me

I recently finished my PhD in physics at Max-Planck-Institut for Astrophysics working with Prof. Eiichiro Komatsu. I am interested in line intensity mapping, specifically with the Lyman-α emission line. Recently, I have measured and detected the galaxy-Lyman-α intensity cross-power spectrum in HETDEX data. Our 15σ detection makes this the most precise line intensity mapping measurement to date!

I have also developed the SIMPLE code, which stands for Simple Intensity Map Producer for Line Emission. It can quickly generate intensity maps based on lognormal galaxy simulations in redshift space and simulate observational effects such as limited resolution, masks, and galaxy selection functions.

Publications

My publication list can also be found on Inspire (incomplete), SciX (ADS), arXiv, and Google Scholar .

As first author

  • “Lyα Intensity Mapping in HETDEX: Galaxy-Lyα Intensity Cross-Power Spectrum” – M. Lujan Niemeyer, E. Komatsu et al.; ApJ 999 177; arXiv:2510.11427
  • “Effect of Lyman-α Radiative Transfer on Intensity Mapping Power Spectra” – M. Lujan Niemeyer; ApJ 980 250; arXiv:2407.03060
  • “SIMPLE: Simple Intensity Map Producer for Line Emission” – M. Lujan Niemeyer, J. L. Bernal, E. Komatsu; ApJ 958 4; arXiv:2307.08475
  • “Lyα Halos around [O III]-selected Galaxies in HETDEX” – M. Lujan Niemeyer, W. P. Bowman, R. Ciardullo et al.; ApJL 934 L26; arXiv:2207.11098
  • “Surface Brightness Profile of Lyman-α Halos out to 320 kpc in HETDEX” – M. Lujan Niemeyer, E. Komatsu, C. Byrohl et al.; ApJ 929 90; arXiv:2203.04826

    • As contributing author

  • “Lyα Nebulae in HETDEX: The Largest Statistical Census Bridging Lyα Halos and Blobs across Cosmic Noon” – E. Mentuch Cooper, K. Gebhardt, D. Davis et al.; ApJ 1000 38; arXiv:2603.06410
  • “The HETDEX Survey: Probing Neutral Hydrogen in the Circumgalactic Medium of ~88,000 Lyman Alpha Emitters” – M. Mirza Khanlari, K. Gebhardt, L. H. Weiss et al.; ApJ 989 169; arXiv:2507.15942
  • “Using Lyα Absorption to Measure the Intensity and Variability of z ∼ 2.4 Ultraviolet Background Light” – L. H. Weiss, K. Gebhardt, D. Davis et al.; ApJ 983 72; arXiv:2504.13253
  • “Absorption Troughs of Lyman Alpha Emitters in HETDEX” – L. H. Weiss, D. Davis, K. Gebhardt et al.; ApJ 962 102; arXiv:2401.02490
  • “HETDEX Public Source Catalog 1—Stacking 50,000 Lyman Alpha Emitters” – D. Davis, K. Gebhardt, E. Mentuch Cooper et al.; ApJ 954 209; arXiv:2307.03096
  • “HETDEX Public Source Catalog 1: 220 K Sources Including Over 50 K Lyα Emitters from an Untargeted Wide-area Spectroscopic Survey” – E. Mentuch Cooper, K. Gebhardt, D. Davis et al.; ApJ 943 177; arXiv:2301.01826
  • “The Active Galactic Nuclei in the Hobby–Eberly Telescope Dark Energy Experiment Survey (HETDEX). II. Luminosity Function” – C. Liu, K. Gebhardt, E. Mentuch Cooper et al.; ApJ 935 132; arXiv:2207.11801
  • “The Hobby–Eberly Telescope Dark Energy Experiment (HETDEX) Survey Design, Reductions, and Detections” – K. Gebhardt, E. Mentuch Cooper, R. Ciardullo et al.; ApJ 923 217; arXiv:2110.04298
  • “Detection of Lyman Continuum from 3.0 < z < 3.5 Galaxies in the HETDEX Survey” – D. Davis, K. Gebhardt, E. Mentuch Cooper et al.; ApJ 920 122; arXiv:2107.11319

    • Talks

  • Fachbeirat (external advisory board) Seminar at Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics – March 2026
  • Large-Scale Structure Days 2025 – October 2025
  • Line Intensity Mapping 2025 – June 2025
  • HETDEX Collaboration Meeting 2025 – May 2025
  • Line Intensity Mapping 2024 – June 2024
  • HETDEX Collaboration Meeting 2024 – May 2024
  • Alpine Cosmology Workshop – July 2023
  • Present and Future of Line Intensity Mapping Conference – April 2023
  • Invited: The Multiphase CGM Conference – February 2023
  • What Matter(s) around Galaxies conference – September 2022
  • Institute seminar at Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics – May 2022
  • Invited: seminar at Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics – March 2022

    • Outreach

    I was recently invited to the Science Tea Time podcast with Caro Matzko. We chatted about cosmology, my PhD project, and how I came to study astrophysics (in German). Parts of our conversation were also broadcast on TV.

    We issued a press release (click here for the German version) for my latest project, the Lyman-α line intensity mapping detection in HETDEX.

    Throughout my PhD, I lead several planetarium shows for students to learn about the research at MPA. I also helped organize the Girl's Day at MPA, where high school students can try out currently male-dominated jobs and learn about astrophysics and cosmology at MPA.

    I also wrote a public science article about my early PhD work on Lyα halos. You can find it here:
    English: Galaxies light up hydrogen halos around neighbouring galaxies;
    Deutsch: Galaxien beleuchten Wasserstoff-Halos benachbarter Galaxien.

    Get in touch

    • Email

      maja_at_mpa-garching.mpg.de

    • Address

      Max-Planck-Institut für Astrophysik
      Karl-Schwarzschild-Str. 1
      85748 Garching
      Germany